Tag: wanderlust

Nevada: 6 of 50

My trip to Nevada was unfortunately only a stop in Las Vegas.  I hope to visit other fun and amazing places throughout Nevada in the future but I had some fun and amazing friends who were visiting Vegas so of course I had to join them.  I’d love to say I’m not sharing a lot of info about the trip because “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”… but mostly I am just behind on posts and realizing I have to write 44 blogs in less than 6 months.  So voila . . .  a list of Takeaways and some pictures! Family, I promise I was the smartest and safest girl on the strip 0:-D

  • Choose Brookyln Bowl for a concert. You can reserve a bowling lane and watch/listen while you bowl!  We saw The Offspring, I beat everyone at bowling and some of my friends got pretty intense in the mosh pit.
  • Visit High Roller at night. However, do not splurge for the open bar ticket. Just look out the windows and enjoy yourself.  The ride isn’t especially long and we only ended up with one drink each anyway.  Learn from our mistake.  Plus, if you spend your time at the tiny bar (that closes once you’re below the buildings – the last quarter of the ride) you’ll miss the best views.
  • Bottomless Brunches! Especially on the day we were there, when weather was stormy.  You can spend hours eating and enjoying cocktails with friends.   It makes for the best days ever.  Also, it’s basically a work out walking to and from the buffet and you get an intense ab workout from laughing so it’s ALMOST like it’s good for you.  The key is going with hilarious friends. 🙂  It’s also a great way to ward off a hangover. (Which I know nothing about because once again, I am an angel).
  • Just wander the strip.  Grab a giant icy drink and enjoy your time amidst the insanity.  See the most cliche tourist attractions you can, that’s what they’re there for.  However, don’t take pictures with performers unless you plan on paying them for their photo.
  • Sometimes it is actually better to grab a limo than a cab when you have a larger group.  Yes, you can walk but the strip is longer than you think.  I learned this the hard way at 21. 😦

 

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Breakfast at Hash House.  Can our portions BE any bigger?!  No.  And that’s the way we like it.
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Sometimes you have to build a tree fort in your food.
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The icy drink I was telling you about.
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Some of the best people you will ever meet.
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We were somewhat talented bowlers

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The concert portion of the evening

 

 

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Below you will find my crystal from Iowa helping people feel awesome during and after our bottomless brunch.

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I told you I am angelic.
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My favorite part of The McCarran International Airport.

See you next time, Nevada!

 

North Dakota: 5 of 50

Takeaways:

  • Surprise!  North Dakota is full of fields and they are stunning.  I suggest driving through the state just to see them.  Especially if you make it to the Enchanted Highway, full of gigantic, man-made statues.
  • I get a little sidetracked on this specificdsc02374 blog post, but I did visit the Geographical Center of North America and a live herd of Buffalo at the National Buffalo Museum (I also fed a little goat).  Both were fun but if you are picking between the two, visit the live herd.  Bonus:  There is a giant bull statue to take your picture with.
  • MUST SEE the International Peace Garden.  Yes you will leave the border of the United States, no you do not currently need a passport as you don’t cross into Canada either.
  • If you lose the chord which connects your camera to your laptop, buy a new one right away!  Otherwise you’ll end up never using your camera and having to make a DVD at Walgreens just to get the ones you took months ago for a very delayed blog post you are writing.  O.K., this might just be a bit specific and have nothing to do with North Dakota, but still; lessons learned.
  • Choose peace over fear or hate.  Choose it for yourself but also because it makes the world a better place for everyone else.

 

North Dakota, I did not realize how beautiful you can be.  Driving through last July opened my eyes.  Your fields of lavender were stunning but it was the giant statues built by a local art teacher to drive tourism to North Dakota that I enjoyed the most.  The Enchanted Highway‘s structures standing tall, popping up out of nowhere, watching over the N.D. produce made me smile in a way I couldn’t help.  I wish I could have seen the look on someone’s face if they didn’t mean to drive down this two lane road, being suddenly met by a giant metal cowboy or family of deer.

dsc02282My mother and I (we were still on our road trip, see: South Dakota) then turned around and drove north to the place I was most excited to visit on this road trip, the International Peace Garden.  It is located between the border of the United States and Canada, celebrates two nations, living dsc02353peacefully side by side. You can walk right along the border through the main garden, or drive around the perimeter, visiting both Canada and the United States.  dsc02340My favorite place in the garden was a greenhouse filled with succulents and cacti.  I didn’t realize just how many different species there could be and I guess I found something beautiful about a plant made of spikes that also flowers.

Within the garden, there is a statue on the US side gifted from Canada after 9-11, a symbol of remembrance and support from one country to another during a time of great pain.  The garden is dedicated with a cairn, built dsc02296from stones collected on both sides of the border.  It is inscribed with a “Promise of Peace”, an ideal I think each of us can treasure and appreciate.  I feel a very personal connection to the idea of peace as I am currently on a journey to find it within myself.  Over a period of a year I let fear and self-doubt take over my life.  It changed my thoughts and feelings about who I am and the world I lived in.  Now, I am learning to forgive and move on, refusing self doubt and fear, finding calm after the storm.  The International Peach Garden was a wonderful place to take a deep breath, let forgiveness seep in and smile, knowing I am moving in the right direction.

As I finish typing this entry, it is not long after the terrorist attack in Paris.  It is difficult to put words to my feelings.  I lived in France for a year and it was a time of great growth for me.  It was the first time I had ever really been alone. But while I was by myself a lot, I also relied on the support and friendship of strangers and new friends.  I received nothing but love, acceptance and assistance when I usually had no idea what I was doing or where I was going.  My time in France was one of filled with peace and to think of the people who were so wonderful to a young American girl who barely spoke French feeling anything but the same makes me upset and quite frankly, pissed.  My heart aches for Paris, for France, for the people who lost their loved ones.  Vous me manquez, mes amis.  

I can see these attacks changing people’s thoughts and feelings towards those around them and the rest of the world but we need to find the strength to focus on peace, fighting back by not letting it change who we are and who we want to be.  I refuse to be frightened into changing my beliefs about my world and the people who live in it just as I have learned (and am still learning) to refuse self-doubt and fear from my own personal grief.

Starting this post talking about North Dakota and ending with Paris doesn’t exactly make sense.  BUT we are all connected in some way, every one of us, from North Dakota to France and beyond, even if it is not clear right away.  Whether we travel the world or just our hometowns, we need to appreciate and respect our differences.  I hope for a day when peace and love conquers our desire to hate. I have no use for anger in my life or in my heart anymore and if you’re reading this, I hope you realize you don’t either.

 

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South Dakota:  4 of 50

Takeaways:

  • The Badlands are only for bad to the bone people (just kidding, they are for everyone.  But they do have a very rugged beauty).
  • It is important when you are visiting National, State, even City Parks/Monuments, etc. that we are all taking responsibility for that park so that future generations can enjoy it. Visit the Leave No Trace website to learn more.
  • When visiting The Corn Palace, look up other events in the area and turn it into a day trip.
  • Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse are amazing (and I highly recommend you visit at some point in your life), but there are many other things to see and do in South Dakota.  So even if you think you’ve seen all you can, I still suggest returning.  There is still so much to adventure through.

 

My trip to South Dakota actually started in Denver, took a short break while we visited North Dakota and concluded in Nebraska.  Explanation:  My mom had been in Colorado with family celebrating her birthday.  She
picked me up from DEN one afternoon and our wandering the middle of 335the country began.  We drove an almost 7 hours to Wall, SD before stopping for the night.  I tell you this just to let you know how fully insane DEDICATED we are when it comes to road trips.  We will drive as many hours in a day as it takes to get where we want to go.  Appreciating the drive can be half the fun of a road trip, don’t you know?  There are quotes about this and everything.

My mom had read about (we love reading so a lot of what we do together is based off of something we read about 🙂 ) the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and had been wanting to visit, so we decided to make it our first stop.  We got to the Visitor’s Center early to stand in line for tour tickets of Delta-01.  We were there about 45 minutes before they opened and I would suggest doing the same.  Tours are limited due to the size of the space.  We wanted to get an early tour so we could keep on schedule (we didn’t actually have a schedule) and were lucky to catch the second tour of the day.  We watched a short historical movie and wandered through the displays before driving to the site.  The visitor center was still in the process of setting up exhibits, but still presented a lot of interesting, historical information.

For something I had never heard of before, the tour is fascinating and is truly a peek back in time.  When the missile sites were closed, everyone literally picked up and moved on, leaving it to look exactly as it was in 1993.  I especially appreciated the guides being those who served and worked at different missile sites.  They were able to share not just the history but also personal experiences.  It’s the personal stories which I believe truly connect us to the past and made this tour much more interesting.225The technology at the time was pretty impressive and it’s interesting to think how much has changed since these silos were first built.  If you are going to be in South Dakota I definitely suggest this stop.  Our history is something we often brush over in the U.S. and I need to remember to include more of it in my travels.  I should not just SEE all 50 states but also LEARN about their past (now that I have been to 21 states and am re-reading/writing this, I am going to have to  re-commit myself to this as I finish the next 29 states).

After the tour we took a roundabout way to Wall to include a drive through the Badlands.  On the way to the National Park we stopped so I could feed some adorable prairie dogs.  Now, I’m not sure if this is something I should have done but when you are driving along the road and see a giant prairie dog, it is kind of hard not to stop and find out why.  I figured they probably aren’t especially wild anyway so I’ve made excuses for myself, but if you must be disappointed in me, I understand.  I will still post a picture of us, because they are so fat and happy and the resemblance between us is uncanny.

 

278Anyway, we traveled through the Badlands and their landscape was like nothing I had never seen before.  It was amazing, beautiful and I can’t imagine what it would have been like to travel through that land as an early settler.  I’m not quite as strong as my ancestors because if it had been me seeing wandering upon that land when trekking West I think I would have turned around and went straight back to the East Coast.

As much as I loved the Badlands and am looking forward to returning, I do have one issue with the experience and it was some of the other visitors.  I don’t know if people are unaware of how to act at National Parks and the reasons why you should follow the directions of the rangers and signs, but it was driving me nuts to see people stomping around in areas where it very clearly states NOT to (we are talking families of 15 people).  In case you didn’t know, there IS a reason to follow signs and instructions.  It’s to help preserve an often unstable natural environment.  I know I would like later generations to be able to visit, appreciate and learn about our National Parks just as I have been lucky enough to.  It is IMPORTANT we take care of them.  *climbs off soap box*

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In other news, I am really looking forward to returning.  I want to hike through the Badlands, possibly in the fall . . . with lots of water . . . and in better shape that I was during the hike you will read about when I get to Montana.

At the end of our short drive through the Badlands, we stopped at Wall Drug in Wall, SD.  It was . . . overwhelming.  There is SO MUCH to look at and do.  I would say it is definitely a spot to stop at if you have youngish kids.  They will have a blast.  My favorite part was their photo collection.  It is huge and you can see so many photos from the area’s history, both of Native Americans and settlers.  It is a wonderful dip into another part of America’s past we do not often focus on.

336It was then time to start our drive toward North Dakota.  We stopped for a small lunch next to a water fall before continuing on to the Geographical Center of the United States.309  First we visited the monument in town, which included flags of all 50 states and was a nice site, continuing on to the ACTUAL center which I loved.  It seems fitting it’s in a large field with very little to the monument other than an American flag.  Simple and elegant.  A perfect and quite touching view of the flag flying in the exact center of the wonderful country I call home.  It is difficult to find and must be done in day light, but you can find directions here (it’s what we followed).  Side note:  There was an insane number of birds dive bombing and fluttering across the road.  If you are not careful you may end up driving while crying, concerned you just hit some baby bird’s mother or father 😥

From here we moved on to North Dakota, returning to South Dakota in a couple days time to see the Corn Palace.  I had no idea what to expect, but the building was pretty impressive.  The design team has quite the task to create something new every year and they were re-designing while we were there.  We took a short tour before heading on our way.  It was a nice visit and would like to return someday to see a finished product.  The town was also having a free concert later on that day, so if you are planning a visit, I suggest you check out what other local events are happening at the same time.  If we had been able to stay for the concert, it would have made for a perfect day trip.410

On the way back to dropping my mom off in Nebraska, we stopped in Sioux Falls for a lunch and to celebrate my mother’s birthday with sangria (yum) and live music at Falls Overlook Cafe, located in Falls Park.  It has a beautiful view over the falls and the food was delish as well.  Then in true Midwest fashion we raced a storm home, only getting caught in flood-worthy rains once, thank goodness.

Georgia: 1 of 50

Takeaway
  • It’s amazing all you can experience in 2 days . . . especially if you limit yourself to the most minimal amounts of sleep. Thank goodness I’ve had training as a flight attendant!
  • My one Savannah encounter – Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room- and I was NOT disappointed.  Pro tip:  have a small bfast then come hungry!
  • When on Jekyll Island rent a bike and pedal it EVERYWHERE, who needs a car anyway?
  • On Jekyll you have beautiful sunrises AND sunsets. Watch both, maybe in one day.
  • Talk to strangers (sorry, Mom). They share amazing travel advice and also feed you crawdads if you don’t know how to eat them yourself.
  • Don’t drop your phone in water a week after going on vacation without having saved your pictures 😦  You’ll be stuck with whatever you sent to friends and family, which thankfully were some pretty good pictures, but not nearly enough to capture the wonderful memories I’d made.

The beginning of my journey was blessed or cursed depending on your attitude.  I kept forgetting things (including my passport on the bus on the way to the airport :-/ ) delaying me so I arrived at my flight with only seconds to spare.  I decided to take it as a blessing because it seemed like the right kind of mindset to begin this journey.  As I sat on the tiny plane taking me to Savannah I was thankful I made the flight and with how distracted I’d been, it felt like more than ever I needed to clear my mind and pay attention to what was happening around me.

Short Savannah experience turned long . . . but worth it

When I picked up my rental car I asked a wonderful Avis employee (Michelle) if there was anything I HAD to do (or eat, I was hungry) before I headed to the coast.  Her suggestion was Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room and oh was I grateful to Michelle.  They are only open from 11-2 so she said my approximate time of arrival (11:45) would be perfect.  Little did I know my arrival would lead to hours of waiting outside in the Savannah sunshine (heat) in a line that went down the block and curved around the corner.   It was worth the wait though, especially when you spend time in line getting to know your neighbors who are soon to become your lunch mates and friends.

I met two girls from New Hampshire who were on what sounded like a pretty amazing road trip.  They shared some travel tips for the states they’d visited along the way and told me about the ghost tour they had been on the night before.  I didn’t realize Savannah is known as the most Georgia.MrsWilkes2haunted city in America, but surprise!  It is.  They loved the tour, by the way and I wish I had gotten the name, but just know it’s the one in a hearse.  The other important info they shared was Mrs. Wilkes is CASH ONLY.  They waited the day before almost 3 hours only to find out when they finally reached the entrance.  I was impressed by their dedication to come back and glad they did as my experience would not have been the same without them.  It’s amazing how much you can enjoy your time with “strangers”.  While I LOVE food, there is something that makes a meal more fulfilling when you enjoy it with others.  I swear that fried chicken tasted even better because I was able to look at them with my eyes bugged out exclaiming how delicious it was and have them look back with the same expression.Georgia.MrsMilkes

They serve the meal family style and there were so many choices I didn’t know where to begin.  I filled my plate as if it were Thanksgiving, a little bit of everything, then grabbed seconds of what I enjoyed most (okra, creamed corn and friend chicken were my faves).  When you go, I’d suggest having a small breakfast to stretch your stomach out a little, but make sure you come hungry and you will be sure to leave happy.

The beginnings of Jekyll and my toes finally touch the sand

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By this time I was hours behind on my “schedule” so I started the drive to Jekyll Island.  Don’t worry, I did fit into the economy size car even though Michelle was concerned I’d be too tall.  It is interesting how strangers worry about you.  The gentleman checking me into my hotel was also worried about me.  He was sad I was alone, on my birthday.  Little did he know it was exactly what I wanted and had been planning for quite some time.  I am just starting to like myself again and ya know what?  It’s nice to spend time with me!

I took a drive around the 7×1.5 mile island to take it all in before heading down to the beach.  I wanted to relax and reflect on my day so far and I got exactly what I wished for.  It was late enough I was one of the few people left on the beach, there was a warm breeze and soft sand to rub my poor aching feet in (afterthought- wear tennies to stand in line for Mrs. Wilkes, flat sandals were rough).

Once I pulled myself away from the beach I went to dinner with the expectation of walking to the West side of Jekyll for the sunset (my hotel was on the East side).  However, I kept getting distracted by the landscape, the ocean continuously drawing me off the path and toward the water.  By the time I was getting to Tortuga Jacks, a recently opened Mexican Restaurant, it was already almost dark.   I decided to give up and have dinner right there.  I sat outside enjoying a delish marg and nachos as the stars started to peak out.  I walked back to my room, accompanied by my “to-go” margarita when I ran into a few people out on a dock.  We watched the carts drive up and down the beach looking for sea turtle nests and they told me about the conference they were there for.  I couldn’t help but think if there was a company consistently sending me to workshops on Jekyll Island so I could drink margs on the dock under the stars . . . I might have to think about a change in profession.

Sunrise to dusk, full and beautiful

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With little to no sleep my alarm was beeping and I was sprinting to the beach for the sunrise.  When I arrived I popped a bottle of champagne and made a toast to myself.  I was turning 29 years old and feeling pretty proud of the place I had reached in my life.  It felt good.  I hadn’t felt that way about myself in a while.  I sipped my champs, wandered around the beach, watching one of the most beautiful sunrises I’d ever seen-Or maybe it was the lack of sleep, the champagne and the fact it was my birthday-but still, it seemed like the most beautiful sunrise I’d ever seen.  There was nothing to feel at that moment but peace and contentment and I received a nice reminder I was in a good place, making the right decisions.IMG_7526

After a short nap, I rented a bike for the day, only $19, packed a lunch and headed out.  I stopped at a dock (it may have only been for resort goers, shhhh- don’t tell) where I sat down for lunch.  As I ate I watched a couple catch fish after fish and imagined myself in some of the boats coasting along in the distance.  I continued my ride over to Driftwood Beach (which I later found out is supposed to be one of the best locations to watch the sunrise) and biked along the outskirts of the entire island.  It’s good to know the island is dotted with historical and informational signs and markers for those who like to learn while they vacation.  At one point during my ride I stopped to take a dip in the water only to have horseback riders behind me and a couple dolphins swimming along the coastline in front of me.  It was another one of those incredibly peaceful moments.  This trip was continuously putting my soul at ease.  It was also making me think maybe someday I want to live on an island where I can ride my bike everywhere.  Jekyll you may have a new resident after my 30th!

 Dinner on Jekyll, more bike rides, beautiful sunsets and encounters with special strangers

By the time I got back to my hotel I needed to get ready and go to dinner.  I did not want to miss my chance to watch the sunset on the West side of the Island again.  I grabbed my bike and headed out, I seriously loved riding my bike around the island.  I went to dinner at Latitude 31, however I went to the Rah Bar portion of the restaurant.  I parked at the start of the dock and headed toward the live music.  There was first-come first-serve seating outside, but it was busy and the sunset was starting already so I headed into the bar.  I grabbed a seat with a beautiful view and placed my order right in time to catch another amazing sight- the sun setting over the water.  It was enough for me to decide every year on my birthday I need to watch the sun rise and set. Georgia.Jekyll.Sunset As I posted on Instagram, it might not always be as beautiful as Jekyll, but it will always be memorable.  It will help remind me of the beauty that surrounds us every day, I just have to take the time to notice.  I also met a kind woman who explained to me the sunset held a lot of “galactic energy” and the earth was “going into the fifth dimension”.  I really wish I would have asked more questions as I feel like people who say things to you randomly at bars usually have some pretty great life advice and interesting views on the world, but instead we just stood and enjoyed the sunset together.  Soooo . . . if any of you would like to share some insight into what the what she was talking about . . . I would LOVE to hear it!

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With Roy and his crab legs.

The food was insanely good and it was my first time eating crawdads.  I had to ask the guy (Roy) sitting next to me to show me how you eat them because those little guys are quite intimidating.  He taught me, cracked half open himself, even fed me one or five crawdads and insisted I wash them down with a fruity cocktail.  He said my mussels, shrimp and crawdads should always be eaten with a cold, fruity drink.  While I may disagree, I appreciated his help (and the couple of rounds he bought me).  By this time, the sun as completely tucked away and I decided it was time for me to be too.  At this point I was stuffed, buzzed, happy and ready to get my bike back and get some rest before I had to head out-of-town.

I took a final bike ride in the dark along one of many Jekyll bike paths and felt the beach wind blow through my hair one last time.  I was sad to say goodnight and goodbye to the island.  Jekyll Island is an incredible place.  I look forward to coming back someday, maybe on a vacation with others next time.  I can show them all the island has to offer and we can explore some of the places I wasn’t able to reach in my two days.  My adventure on the island was over, but it was exactly what I needed for the weekend I turned 29 and started this journey.  If all my trips hold up to this one, I will be one lucky girl.

50 States, 52 weeks: The Beginning

Somewhat recently I was released from an abusive relationship. While primarily it was verbal and emotional, it left me a hallowed out version of myself. I was unable to recognize anything when I looked in the mirror. The worst part was the longer I stayed the more I became like the abuser, my empty parts being filled with rage and fear to match his. Rage and fear I couldn’t seem to escape, making me feel lost and dizzy. It was all-encompassing. I lived for a long time in a fog of self-hatred and confusion. I disappeared from many people’s lives and those who spent time with me didn’t know this person I had become.  It’s hard to imagine those times now that I’m making my way back to me. Once you’re out of the darkness it’s hard to remember how it feels to live without hope. I’m glad to be working my way back to “normal” Johanna and I have since recognized life is all about learning. I’m just hoping I’ve gained the strength to GO before the worst happens in the future because oh how my intuition screamed GO back then. I just hadn’t learned to listen yet.

This experience has changed me. I am not quite as carefree as I once was. Smiling is difficult and I feel like there may be a part of me that might never heal 100%. The one thing that has gotten me out of my self-imposed downward spiral is the planning of an adventure. After spending so long living life as a zombie, I needed to run free again.  This decision was made on a plane ride back to my mother’s home during a very low period. My world felt like a dark pit and I couldn’t continue. I had become so dependent on the relationship and the criticism that I didn’t have the strength or confidence to crawl out, let alone walk away. I didn’t know how to get out of my own head. Then an idea arose and I knew I needed this escape to be real. 50 states in 52 weeks. I started a job as a flight attendant the year prior and hadn’t quite traveled as I originally planned. There was no one to tie me down anymore, no one to make me feel guilty and I didn’t know where I wanted to live in the world anyway, so why not visit every state in one year and see if anything sticks?

This is where the good part begins. I started talking about my #50in52 and people loved the idea. They also loved telling me what to do in their state and I LOVE to listen. I will be blogging the adventure and the healing so please, track my progress. Hold me accountable! Most of all, if you’re reading this and you know someplace I HAVE to GO, tell me! It’s not just about stepping foot in every state, it’s about experiencing the best/weirdest/most fun/most interesting things each state has to offer. I’m starting this week, the first week of June (my 29th birthday) and I want to fill the last year of my 20s with as many amazing stories as possible. Even if all you have to share is where I can get the best sandwich I’ve ever tasted… I NEED THAT SANDWICH! So share, tell me where I need to go… Because this time when my intuition is screaming GO, I’m listening. Go Johanna, go! Go everywhere.